New Delhi: A UPS cargo aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least twelve people and leaving a widespread trail of destruction near the city’s major airport. Federal investigators revealed early findings on Wednesday, confirming that the plane’s left engine detached during the takeoff roll and that a fire had already developed in the left wing before the aircraft left the ground.
The crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday as the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 began its departure from UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, en route to Honolulu. The aircraft gained only enough height to clear the perimeter fence before crashing and erupting into flames just outside the airport.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board said airport security footage clearly showed the left engine separating from the wing. Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder and the detached engine, though they warned it could take more than a year to determine the exact cause of the fire and structural failure.
The crash created a half mile long debris field and triggered secondary explosions after striking nearby businesses, including a petroleum recycling facility and an auto salvage yard. Among the victims was a child who was at the salvage yard with a parent. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said rescuers were continuing to search the area but stressed that finding additional survivors was unlikely.
Witnesses described the crash as terrifying. Residents and workers in the area reported loud blasts, flickering lights and a massive fireball rising above the buildings. Some said they initially feared an attack due to the intensity of the explosion.
Two people remain in critical condition at the University of Louisville Hospital, while more than a dozen others received treatment for injuries. The airport reopened one runway on Wednesday to resume limited operations.
The status of the three UPS crew members on board remains unclear, and authorities have not confirmed whether they are among the dead. UPS expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, noting the company’s Louisville facility is its largest, handling hundreds of flights and hundreds of thousands of packages each hour.
Aviation experts said it is too early to determine what caused the engine separation and fire. However, similarities were noted between this crash and a 1979 disaster in Chicago where an engine detached from an American Airlines DC-10, leading to a fatal crash later attributed to improper maintenance. Investigators will examine maintenance records for the UPS aircraft, which had recently spent several weeks on the ground in San Antonio.
